Those with reverse cyclers....

[Super~Single~Mama]

So my son seems to be mostly reverse cycling. While I'm at school we're lucky if he takes 11oz (in a 10hour day). He nurses a TON at night now, where he used to nurse once or twice. He's 8.5months, teething (not actively right now though), walking, and just a busy busy baby.

How do you all cope? I'm not getting enough sleep (we co-sleep, but I still end up tired), I hate coffee and tea and it doesn't do much anyway.

So, whats the secret? Are you just tired until your baby starts eating more and more solids during the day? I'd be ok with that, since I kinda have to be, but I'm just curious.

[paulamc]

My babe is 1, but just got mobile about a month ago. Since then he's been too busy to nurse much during the day. But we've nursed a lot at night since the beginning - in particular since he was about 4 months hold. It's just that until a month or two ago he also nursed quite a bit during the day.

Sometimes the nights are better than others - it evolves continuously depending on whether he's teething, achieving new milestones, you name it. My latest strategy, and it seems to be helping, is to go to bed super early. 7:30 or 8:00 or sometimes 8:30. If we have a really good night, I'm able to get up super early and have some time alone, though he wakes fairly frequently in the early morning so I do find myself rushing back up to nurse him back to sleep. If it's not such a good night I find I still feel alright by the time he's ready to get up for the morning, since I've been in bed for 11 hours or more.

Another thing about this strategy - unlike when I was going to bed late, I now try not to nap with him during the day, so as to ensure that I'll be tired enough to go to sleep very early in the evening. One reason I'm doing this is to free up some early morning time to get work done, since I work better in the morning than the evening. I will sometimes doze for 10 minutes or so after putting him down. That usually refreshes me a bit.

Hang in there. I know it's tough.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Thanks! I've tried going to bed early, but that doesn't work since Lincoln seems to be a night owl just like his dad! We've recently begun getting him down about 9:30-10pm, anything earlier and he's up playing half the night We've tried it all, believe me!

Last night wasn't too bad, but tonight promises to be bad since he only took 7oz of milk from 8:30am - 6pm!!! I couldn't believe it!

[teachma]

I have been there with my first two, neither of whom took even an ounce (literally) from a bottle while I worked full days of 8+ hours. I can't say how I survived, and I definitely blamed my "having to work" on a baby who nursed only between the hours of 4:30 pm and 6:30 am. It was rough.

Fast-forward five years, and I now have baby #3. I am not currently working, and he is 5.5 months old. And guess what? Though I am here and available to him all. day. long...he STILL seems to have reverse-cycled, and he nurses primarily during the nighttime hours!! It started around 3 1/2 months of age, about when I think he became very aware of the world and, therefore, distracted. It is just as hard to nurse all night and then take care of a baby and two other children then next day as it was to do it and go to work, so I totally feel your exhaustion. No good words of advice for you, but you will get through it.

[rivkah]

I have a reverse cycler. She takes maybe 5 oz during the day while I am at work--she is only 3.5 months.

I can honestly say I am not any more tired than I am with my first two (I stayed at home with them).

I really hate to say this to you, because it is not a solution, but I think you just get used to sleeping through nursing. I think I was MORE tired with #1, because I just had to adjust to getting interrupted sleep. Now, I can nurse DD all night without really feeling like I had to "wake up".